"Songbird" is a song by English rock band

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Heathen Chemistry ''Heathen Chemistry'' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 1 July 2002 by Big Brother Recordings. It is the first Oasis studio album recorded with guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, who both joined ...

'' (2002), and is the first single by Oasis written by vocalist

Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...

. Released on 3 February 2003, the song reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the

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, and the top 10 in Ireland and Italy. During an interview with ''The Matt Morgan Podcast'', Liam's brother and bandmate

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...

called the track a "perfect" song.

Composition

Liam has said of the song: "I like beautiful things... It's not all dark in Liam World. I take me shades off every now and again and have a look at the world and see some nice things." Noel Gallagher stated jokingly in an interview with

Patrick Kielty Patrick Kielty (born 31 January 1971) is a comedian, presenter and actor from Northern Ireland. He is the host of '' The Late Late Show'' on RTÉ One and presents a Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio 5 Live. His television credits include ...

that Liam decided to "write a song about his bird", and states the title "Song... bird" in a cave man like manner. The song was written as a tribute to then-fiancée

Nicole Appleton Nicole Marie Appleton (born 7 December 1974) is a Canadian singer and television presenter. She is a member of the British girl group All Saints and the pop duo Appleton with her elder sister Natalie Appleton. Early life Appleton was born i ...

. "Songbird" was composed in the key of

G major G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...

using

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

at 132

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

Release and other versions

The song was released as the fourth single from the band's ''

Heathen Chemistry ''Heathen Chemistry'' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 1 July 2002 by Big Brother Recordings. It is the first Oasis studio album recorded with guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, who both joined ...

'' album, on 3 February 2003 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It is the only track from ''Heathen Chemistry'' included on the band's first

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

Stop the Clocks ''Stop the Clocks'' is a compilation album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 20 November 2006 by Big Brother Recordings. The "retrospective collection" is an 18-track double album with the featured songs chosen by Noel Gallaghe ...

'', as well as the only track written by Liam included on it. Being written by lead singer

, it was the first time the band had released a single not written by his brother

Noel Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community *Noel Park, a suburb in Greater London, Engla ...

. "(You've Got) The Heart of the Star" and "Columbia" are

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

, the latter of which was recorded live at the Glasgow Barrowlands, in October 2001. The demo of the song is a typical Oasis approach to the song, featuring overdriven guitar and a stronger beat, as well as a guitar solo.

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, Love has had a career spanning four decades. She rose to promi ...

has said that she and Liam played a version with her whistling and Gallagher playing guitar and singing, this was noted in the book ''Kurt and Courtney: Talking''. Gallagher played the song for UK Radio Aid in January 2005. In December 2017, Irish music school The Music Yard used the song's melody for their Christmas song "Talking to a Snowman".

Critical reception

Doug Levy for ''CMJ New Music Report'' said that Gallagher had a "surprising talent for songwriting", referring to "Songbird" and album tracks "Better Man" and "Born on a Different Cloud". ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' magazine's Chuck Klosterman said "Songbird" was one of the two "most compelling songs" on the album.

Music video

The video features Liam performing the song in Hyde Park in London, whilst playing an acoustic guitar under a tree, and alternately chasing and being chased by a dog. The video also has an appearance by Appleton.

Track listings

* 7-inch single :A. "Songbird" :B. "(You've Got) The Heart of a Star" * UK CD and 12-inch single # "Songbird" # "(You've Got) The Heart of a Star" # "Columbia" (live) * UK DVD single # "Songbird" # "Songbird" (demo) # Exclusive interview and live performance footage * Japanese maxi-CD single # "Songbird" # "Songbird" (demo) # "Columbia" (live)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

'Songbird' song of the day on thishereboogie.com 18 September 2008
{{Authority control 2003 singles Epic Records singles Number-one singles in Scotland Oasis (band) songs Song recordings produced by Andy Bell (musician) Song recordings produced by Gem Archer Song recordings produced by Liam Gallagher Song recordings produced by Noel Gallagher Songs written by Liam Gallagher